Country 8: Budapest, Hungary

Vittoria
Mar 27, 2018
4 min read

23 Days On The Road ~ Location: Budapest, Hungary~ Transportation: Bus

On the 19th March I turned 26 and I celebrated my birthday between two countries: breakfast in Bratislava and dinner in Budapest! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! If you want to read more about what this meant to me click here.

We arrived in Budapest in the afternoon and immediately headed for our hostel. After the experience we had in Bratislava we were not looking forward to sleep in another hostel. But things were very different this time. We were greeted by a very nice group of people and we spent the following two nights talking, sharing travelling stories, adding each other on social media, you know...as kids do these days!

In the evening of our first day in Budapest we went out across the Liberty Bridge to reach a restaurant called Vegan Love, where we had my birthday dinner. The Danube at night is a dream come true: the city sparkles and the water reflects all the lights, the castle is illuminated in the distance and all the cars that drive on the riverside seem thousands of light-bugs.

Even at night the city is buzzing and everyone is walking somewhere, jogging, riding bicycles, jumping on bright yellow trams. So we walked hand in hand blindly in the city talking, reflecting of this adventure, pointing at things we wanted to see closer the next day and that's how my birthday day ended.

Here you can watch the video about our time in Budapest:

Our itinerary included:

~ Liberty Bridge

~Vaci Utca

~ Veganlove

~ Liberty Statue & Citadella

~ Buda Castle

~St Stephen Basilica

~ Great Bistro

~ Hungarian Parliament

~ Heroes' Square

~City Park

The next day we absolutely had to climb the hill right in front of the Liberty Bridge, because we wanted to see the city from above. To reach the top you just have to follow white painted hearts on the floor that take you from 1 to 13. The hill is steep: get ready to climb steps, walk uphill and get out of breath pretty quickly (or maybe that is just us). The path is across a wonderful park with benches, brickwork, love-spots that are incredibly romantic. I imagine in the full of spring or summer it must be the place for first dates or romantic evenings.

Best Moment

The best moment was seeing Budapest from the top of the hill. I must have took 2 hours of footage because I couldn't get over how beautiful it was. The sun was shining, the snow was beginning to melt and the birds were chirping. We were pretty much the only people walking up and it was amazing. Also sitting under the sun by the parliament was pretty special. We were finally able to take our hat, scarf and gloves off and we almost sweat...almost!

Worst Moment

When our friends from the hostel left they were replaced by two of the noisiest people on the planet. This time the problem wasn't snoring, but waking up at 6 in the morning and moving around like bulls in a china shop. Don't you just love people?

Healthy Tips

There was no sight of health this week! Being t-total I don't want to celebrate like most people do so the only option was eating till our hearts exploded. We went to Vegan Love and had a burger (for a change), then we found a vegan buffet called Great Bistro and had a delicious lunch, which in fact was healthy, and then we had to come back to Vegan Love to try one of the hot dogs, and thank goodness we did because it was heaven!

Zero Waste Tips

One of the problems we have found staying at hostels is that the food I cook is pretty bland because we don't have any spices or oil or condiments. So my grandmother gave me a great idea when we were in Vienna: she gave us some sachet containing cous-cous or rice that is ready in 2 minutes just by adding boiling water. And they are delicious! You can then add beans, chickpeas or chopped vegetables and you have a tasty, warming and easy meal ready in seconds.

So here in Budapest we tried to find some more and we stocked up for days! The great thing is that the packaging is paper and so recyclable, which is better than most grains which usually come in plastic packaging.

Minimalist Tips

Now that the weather is becoming warmer I am starting to feel like I need a spring clean. I brought with me 2 pile hoodies in case one was in the wash and I needed to wear the other. But pile dries really fast and I haven't found this problem so far. So I think I am going to donate one of my hoodies, because it takes quite a bit of space, and now I need it to store food. Priorities!

Final warnings: whomever you talk to about Budapest will tell you that it's beautiful and they are right! This city should be high on your bucket list. You won't need a daily pass because you can walk around without any problems, also remember to download the map on Google Maps so you can use it when you are offline, since GPS doesn't need WiFi signal. Another great help is the Lonely Planet Guide which you can download as well for when you don't have internet connection. I recommend the Cave Church, the hike to the Liberty Statue and then walking to the Buda Castle. Also don't miss the Parliament and the City Park, they are a must!